Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (a.k.a. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 or MvC2) is the fourth and final game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. With the final installment of the series, Capcom simplified the engine so that it would be more accessible to casual players, in order to bring in new players, as interest in arcade fighting games had declined. Changes were made to the air combo system and the button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main buttons and 2 assist buttons. The game also features 3 on 3 tag, compared to the 2 on 2 tag from previous games in the series. It is the only game in the series to use the NAOMI system, which is used mostly for 3D games. It is mainly seen in this game in the backgrounds and system effects, as well as Abyss's sphere. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was later ported to the Dreamcast, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox ports of this game saw a limited print run. While these versions are merely uncommon, high demand has caused their prices to skyrocket both in stores and online. Ironically, the Dreamcast version is the closest of the three home console ports to the arcade version, and at the same time it is the cheapest due to a higher number of copies produced. This is the first and only Marvel vs. Capcom game without character-specific endings, as one will get the same end regardless of the characters one uses or how quickly one defeats the final opponent. The game was not produced for the Xbox or PlayStation 2 for a very long time due to Capcom losing the Marvel license. Story When the earth and everything on it begins to die, Ruby Heart traces the source to an evil being known as Abyss, the Armor of Erosion. She summons the greatest heroes to her airship to find the being. Ultimately, its source of power is revealed to be a mysterious black metal ball within its center. The ending suggests that the sphere may be worthless now given the massive crack in it; Ruby holds it in her hand and regards it briefly before throwing it over her back into the water, letting it sink to the bottom. It is not stated if Abyss could return or not. Gameplay Players select three fighters from either Marvel or Capcom games and fight one-on-one until one of the teams have no remaining players. Each character has at least one super combo and the entire team shares a single super meter. The characters can draw on this (at a minimum cost of one super meter level) to perform their super combos or other special super moves. Control is similar to the previous Marvel vs. Capcom games, which itself derives from the Street Fighter games, except that the screen is now wider. The major difference is that instead of three punch/kick attack strength, there are only two, with the last two buttons being replaced by assist buttons. Most often, a weak attack can chain two different hits. The second is usually similar to the medium attacks of the first Marvel vs. Capcom game. Some arcade stands incorrectly labeled the button layout, labeling then in the fashion of the previous games in the series. The assist buttons were labeled as the strong attacks, while the strong attacks where labeled as the medium attacks. You can also call in an off-screen character to do a selected special move by pressing the corresponding assist button. Each character has three assist types which cause them to execute different special moves (or in some cases, a regular move); this is chosen before the match. You can call an assist at any time, except during a super jump or when executing special or super moves, and the assist character is vulnerable to attack or even death. The characters receive more damage than normal when attacked during an assist. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 introduces the ability to force an opponent's teammate into the fight with a move commonly called a "snapback", which requires one super meter to execute. The character will flash for a moment and do a normal attack which will knock the opponent out of the playing field if it's not blocked. If successful, the current character will be knocked out of play and the next available partner will enter the fight on their behalf. If the move connects with both the active and an assist character, it introduces the possibility of the assist character being knocked out without the opponent being able to defend him/her. Characters The game adds all characters from previous games in the Marvel Vs. series, with the exception of secret characters such as Norimaro or Lilith-Mode Morrigan. Some, like Dr. Doom, have added moves, while bosses like Thanos are toned down for gameplay purposes. Ryu plays akin to his older version, instead of the "Complete Change" Ryu seen in the previous game. Alongside these many new characters were added: Marvel's side now includes Cable, Adamantium-Less Wolverine and Marrow, while Capcom's adds Jill Valentine, Felicia, Anakaris, Hayato, Baby Bonnie Hood, Tron Bonne, and Servbot. In addition, several new characters were added to the Capcom side (Ruby Heart, SonSon -actually the granddaughter of another SonSon from a previous Capcom game- and Amingo), and a completely new boss (Abyss). New Characters * Ruby Heart Ruby Heart is the lead character of the game. She is a French-speaking pirate who owns the flying ship that is responsible for carrying the Marvel and Capcom heroes into battle. Ruby Heart is looking for the mysterious orb that the final boss Abyss possesses. Once Ruby Heart finally obtains the orb, she doesn't seem very pleased with it, and throws it into the ocean. * Amingo The only solid information on Amingo is that he is on a search for a wind that is sweeping across his land and destroying any plant life that it happens to come into contact with. His appearance is that of a round, catcus-like humanoid with a sombrero. He can reshape his entire body into several forms for some of his attacks using a plant theme, and plant smaller, child like versions of himself. He is one of the few characters in the game also to feature a healing assist. * Sonson SonSon is a little monkey girl who is the grand daughter of a character named SonSon, who starred in an old Capcom game with the same name. In the game, she tries to find out why her village was struck by an unknown illness. Sonson and her father are both based on Sun Wukong, the main character of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Several of her attacks are derived from the series, such as the size-changing bo staff, Wukong's ability to replicate himself using the hairs of his body, or Sonson trying to cook her opponent in the Shinka Hakke Jin and turn them into sake. * Abyss Abyss was responsible for a mysterious wind that spread across the world, killing plant life in its wake. This phenomenon prompted numerous heroes and villains to band together and investigate. He's something akin to entropy incarnate, a fabled monstrosity that would bring the world back to primordial times, killing all life in the process. Abyss's true form is apparently that of a large glowing sphere that hovers around in the background. Abyss changes into three different forms when fighting. In the first stage of the battle the metal sphere surrounds itself with a giant suit of armor which is slow moving with powerful attacks. The fight takes place in a large temple like structure, presumably underground. After this form is defeated, the armor melts into the floor and the temple crumbles, leaving the fighters standing in a green pool of slime. The abyss sphere floats in the background as the second form reveals itself: A small green humanoid capable of creating paralyzing bubbles, shooting fire and energy beams, and sinking into the floor to avoid attacks. After this form is destroyed, the green slime turns orange and a large demonic beast forms around the Abyss sphere. This third form attacks with powerful energy attacks and sheer brute strength. If this form is defeated the sphere apparently loses its power and the cave and island the monster inhabits begins to sink. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has only one ending, which all the characters share. In it, the various fighters celebrate their victory over Abyss on the ship of the pirate, Ruby Heart. Although this varies on which version the player is playing at: in the home console the characters that are available in the beginning celebrate only where as in the arcade version more characters are shown with a few changes to some scenes. At the start of this sequence, Ruby is seen holding Abyss's cracked sphere, which she drops into the ocean, and it sinks into the depths. Playable Characters * Akuma * Amingo * Anakaris * B.B. Hood * Blackheart * Cable * Cammy * Captain America * Captain Commando * Charlie * Chun-Li * Colossus * Cyclops * Dan * Dhalsim * Doctor Doom * Felicia * Gambit * Guile * Hayato * Hulk * Iceman * Iron Man * Jill Valentine * Jin * Juggernaut * Ken * M. Bison * Magneto * Marrow * Mega Man * Morrigan * Omega Red * Psylocke * Rogue * Roll * Ruby Heart * Ryu * Sabretooth * Sakura * Sentinel * Servbot * Shuma-Gorath * Silver Samurai * Sonson * Spider-Man * Spiral * Storm * Strider Hiryu * Thanos * Tron Bonne * Venom * War Machine * Wolverine * Zangief Category:Games